Ralph Loren Boycott
So did any of you hear about the Ralph Lauren photoshopping debacle? Poor Filippa Hamilton. Her waist was made to look smaller than her head after some editing that went seriously wrong! The picture, shown below, is so ludicrous. But I think it makes for an excellent reminder that the images we see in mainstream media simply do not reflect real life.
To add to the flames which sparked from the photoshopping nightmare- the 8 year model of Ralph Lauren, spoke out to reveal the shocking truth that she was fired from the company for being too fat to fit into their sample clothing. Ralph Lauren released a statement to the Daily News stating that Filippa is “a beautiful and healthy” woman, but their relationship ended “as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us.” Hard to believe that 120 lbs is enough weight to get you fired. Yikes.
So if you are as disgusted with Ralph Lauren and an industry which permeates our society with distorted ideas and images of what women ough to look like- then join the Facebook boycott of Ralph Lauren. The creators of “America the Beautiful” (a documentary on the pressures women feel related to beauty in the States) are attempting to recruit 10,000 people to sign their petition.
As a dietitian in Cambridge, I spend most of my day working with women who suffer from eating disorders, disordred eating, and body image problems. I’d love to see more women banding together to support a cause we could all benefit from. Rather than obsessing about what we eat and how much we weigh- wouldn’t it be great if we could contribute our intellect and energy in more productive ways?